opening licks and tone on wharf rat emphatically declare red rocks glory.

Checking out Charlie's Wharf rat after listening to preview of forthcoming official release.
Imaging reversed. Piano in left ear in CM's version, and right on Rhino release.
Both sound great but Rhino(and most other SBs on the archive) match the stage set up
All thanks to The Archive

Unforgettable show...Great 1st set on may levels.

2nd set from Other One on is terrific. One of the top 3 Franklin's for sure (10/9/76 best 10/27/79 also wonderful) the Sugar Mag to drive the set home is killer as well.

3 song of encore Terrapin>Sat PM> Werewolves still leaves me breathless. My only reason for reviewing though (beside this is another Charlie Miller masterpiece, thank you one of the best recording side) is the very well placed SHHH! during Wharf Rat I would think to be Phil.

Yeah, this is quite something else....I've always been a fan of the first Red Rocks '78 run - listening to this show again after a long while (part of this was on one of my first cassettes - as a filler - in the trading days).

"I had a rahhh rdahhhh..." and with that Chief Growling Bear leads off this show shakily - I mean, the lyric flubs on Bertha (unending) are enough to raise your eyebrows and make you wonder if they're going to pull through this one, but they pick it all up pretty quick and get it together in that searing, boiling-cauldron style that typified so much of '78 - I can understand why the sound puts some fans off, but equally understand why so many are enamored and amazed - I'm of the latter category. Some highlights:

*El Paso - pristine magnificence. They sound like they're playing from the top of a mountain.
*So many of these tunes have something special going for them, just something a little "extra" - check, for instance, the final ten-fifteen seconds of Minglewood. And then the longggg, longggg walk Ramble on Rose gets while they fix some tech specs...
*Ship of Fools. Jerry sings this one Blood-on-the-Tracks-style. Maybe, along with Jai Alai '74, my all-time fave version of this old ballad. I mean, seriously, what the *hell* is going ON? :)
*Estimated > Other One > Eyes is just amazing. They are truly out there - and all this pre-drums!
*Jer's quick, insistent, chastising "sh!" during Wharf Rat
*That triple-encore has Terrapin dangerously ready to fly off the rails, but dig how they bring that Werewolves. The latter is a track I've listened to more times than I can count.

So, yeah, '78 is bizarre stuff - maybe up there with '85 in terms of singularly weird Dead experiments in their music. But they are also trying to make it great, and great it is. Jerry, as I read on another review, is indeed driving this bus himself, all the way, and his numerous brushes with lyrical meltdowns all but add, ultimately, a big exclamation of excitement to the mix.

30 from Sharon PA ,great friends, music , still think about this night and Just Smile ,Smile ,Smile!

Jerry & the boys always took the performance of Wharf Rat very seriously. In this version, you can hear Jerry or Bobby SHHHHHHing the noisy, whistling audience during the "I know that the life I'm livin's no good" bridge. Clearly, this is not a time to be cheering. For another example of this, listen to the version from 1978-12-28; you will hear an angry Jerry yell "QUIET!" to a piano-banging Keith during the same part of the song.

Been enjoying this show all weekend. Haven't visited this run in awhile. Love the Estimated>Other One>Eyes sandwich everyone is always raving about.

GREAT show of course, & I always thought this is prob one of best Dire Wolf's I've ever heard.

This is a great show. Its 78 and the great shows are about to come to an end, but this is a great show with incredible audio quality. For a great trip, listen to this with headphones

Great show. My only issue is with DJ's off pitch screams at the end of Deal. Love this show, otherwise. Drums, Phil, Bobby, keys, and GARCIA... Man does he sound amazing or what! His guitar could cut... Idk...liquid. Very moving. Don't space on this. Get it while you can.

Short version: You have not lived until you have heard this Dead show.

Long version:

This is penultimate Dead. After thousands and thousands of hours listening to Dead music, this never fails to give me chills. Be careful, you may just bawl your eyes out. The solos on Estimated alone are worth the 3 hours to listen to it. The transition into Other One from there and the journey to other worlds at hyperspace after that is unfathomable until you listen for yourself. Garcia's haunting themes throughout the second set are unbelievable. He drags the rest of the band along for the ride with Phil in a close 2nd. They are beyond tight. Possessed is more apt. There is really no point in going into rating each song. The entire package is so perfect and the setlist so obvious that it speaks for itself. Donna dislikers fear not. There are no cats under rocking chairs here. Some rapid fire Apocalypse Now type drums give the rest of the band a breather before they return everyone to Holy bliss. How 9/4/79 can have 650k downloads compared to the paltry # for this show is nearly as mind altering as this show.

In determining which source I would download, before I chose the most recent Miller Bd., I ended up getting sucked in again and had to listen to the entire second set b/c it felt sacrilegious to do otherwise. Seriously. It is not a flawless board, but that is totally irrelevant. The matrix is pretty good but this seems fuller. No disrespect to the guys that made it - I snagged that one too.

If you have ever tasted the magic and your neural net is cast, then this is a must listen. Not only that, you really need to listen to the board AND the Aud. My original Aud. has the tapers talking to one another. The conversation where they reassure one another during the 2nd set is classic. I am sure many were unable return to their original point on the space time continuum after this journey. Terrence McKenna were you there?

I don't listen to much 78 but this show was very strong with lots of great performances and makes me want to listen to more performances from this year. I particularly like this more uptempo version of Roses. Donna unfortunately does a little too much 'squawking' at times... especially at the end of Deal. Yikes!

'78 is normally not one of my favorite years, but the first half especially just has some wonderful gems. this may be the best show of the year, though 2/5 certainly gives it a run for its money.

i don't consider the 1st set to be anything that special, but the 2nd set is just epic, proving that when they were on in '78, they could be even better than in '77. Estimated>O1>Eyes and Franklin's Tower are some of the very best ever... this estimated jam just explodes out the speakers! eyes and franklins are gorgeously jammed... i'd say if you only want a sampling of this year, this makes a great place to start...

Stunning audio quality!

Excellent! Sounds gtreat too. Thanks Charlie. I can't believe it when I'm the first to write a review for a C Miller upgrade.

Bertha, Dire Wolf and the Eyes are the highlights for this deadhead

Also, the best Werewolves of London I have ever heard.

Whart Rat>Franklins is extra special, as is pretty much every killer version of every song at the first Red Rocks Run@

... Jerry's Wolf kicks in and goes blood crazy. His frenetic playing draws every pack member in. The result is sheer bedlam and balm for whatever ails ya, and perhaps, sheer terror to those who cannot abide.

To me = Every song a masterpiece. A great, great Grateful Dead show from 1978.

One knows, from experience, that when Jerry's in this mood, he's blistering, and on this night, he is blistering to peel paint from rock.

From the magnificent performance I deem this show a full 40 out of 5 stars. 40 is my highest rating, and approximately 286 shows fall into this mystical category.

Go figure ... in reverse.

In reserve...